If you don’t carry a firearm when inside your home, you may want to stage a home defense firearm near the entryway. What should you do if you hear a potential lethal threat trying to gain access through your front (or rear) door?

Make Sure It’s a Threat

Someone ringing the doorbell in the middle of the afternoon probably does not constitute a threat. Actions that more likely indicate a threat include shots fired just outside your home, someone screaming they’re coming to kill you, or someone trying to break down the door. If the hinges are shaking, it’s probably time to put your home defense plans into action.

As part of your home security, preventative steps include making sure you have a solid door that presents a strong barrier to entry, with deadbolt locks. Check out PDN’s videos specifically on the topic of home door security. If it’s daytime and you don’t have all the locks engaged, do that immediately at the sign of a threat.

If you decide you need to access your home defense firearm, don’t turn your back on the door as you move. The door may come open at any moment and you may need to engage hand to hand because you haven’t accessed the firearm yet.

Firearm Staging Options

A Tactical Walls picture frame clandestine storage device is an excellent option for an entryway because it looks like part of your home decor. It opens via RFID technology so you can access the firearm quickly. You can either attach it to a magnet inside the Tactical Walls picture frame or you can have a holster piece mounted and draw it from that.

Get the firearm into a ready position, still without turning your back on the door, and back away from the door into a more secure space. Get some distance between you and the bad guy, and if you can get a corner between you, that’s even better.

Next Steps

Verbally alert the family to the threat if they aren’t already aware, and either call 911 or ask a family member to make the call.

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